Physics 567 - Quantum Mechanics - Spring 2009

• Instructor - Professor Sheldon Stone
• Class meetings on Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM in room 316 of Physics Building (3rd floor)
• Prof. Stone's coordinates: Room 329 Physics Bldg., phone 315-443-5972, Email: stone@physics.syr.edu
• Office hours: Generally Monday & Wed. 3-4 pm, or by appointment, or just drop by
• Prof. Stone does research in experimental particle physics

Syllabus

• Text Book - Griffiths, "Introduction To Quantum Mechanics," 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-111892-7
• Scope: We will cover the first five chapters:
• The Wave Function
• Time-Independent Schrodinger Equation
• Formalism
• Quantum Mechanics in Three Dimensions
• Identical Particles

Homework Assignments

Philosophy

The class will consist of a mixture of lecture, discussion and problem solving. This subject describes physics at small distances with low to moderate energies. In this regime the properties of matter and its interactions are highly non-intuitive. To master the material it is essential that you solve many, if not most of the problems in the book, so a substantial amount of class time will be devoted to going over problem solutions. This subject is not easy and the mathematics required is far from trivial; therefore you will need to spend a great deal of time reading, thinking and doing problems. It is essential that you come to class, so attendance is required.

Exams & Grades

There will be three exams, to be scheduled. There may or may not be a final depending on performance on previous exams. Grades will based on exam performance and class room particpation, using the subjective judgement of the instructor. You are encouraged to cooperate on homework, but exams must be done individually in order to conform with the Academic Integregrity Expectations of this course. For the exams you will be allowed to use your textbook, without any additional notes.

Extra Reading

There are many books in the Library about quantum mechanics. Some are designed to be text books and are at about the same level as Griffiths. Examples are: "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics," by Robert H. Dicke and J. P. Wittke, and "Quantum Mechanics classical results, modern systems and visualized examples," by R. W. Robinett. Another book, "Faust in Copenhagen," by Gino Segre, gives a non-mathematical account of how quantum mechanics was developed and an intriguing view of the personalities involved. You might get some insight by looking at them or other books.

Some Illustrative Slides

Introductory Material

Particles and Waves

Web Resources - links to interesting applets

• Bohr atom & others from Walter Fendt
• Infinite Square Well Probabilities from Oxford University
• Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle from Oxford University
• Quantum Harmonic Oscillator from Oxford University
• Quantum Physics Online from Ecole Polytechnique
• Group Velocity versus Phase Velocity of waves from Univ. of Virginia
• Make your own wave packets from Cal Poly (requires Quicktime)
• Mark Sutherland's Quantum Mechanics
• Wave packets - Documentation
• From Paul Falstad
• Visual Quantum Mechanics from Kansas State
• Associated Legendre functions from Dan Boye, Davidson
• Hydrogen atom from Wolfram Research
• Quantum Mechanics Movies